Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians and the Martyrdom of Polycarp

Introduction, Text, and Commentary

Paul Hartog

Places a copy of the original-language text beside a new English translation

Addresses key scholarly debates, such as issues of unity, authenticity, and historicity

Discusses the use of books now in the New Testament within the Polycarpian literature

Provides a reconstruction of the biography of Polycarp

Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians and the Martyrdom of Polycarp

Introduction, Text, and Commentary

Paul Hartog

Description

This commentary on Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians and the Martyrdom of Polycarp includes extensive introductions, the Greek or Latin texts, facing English translations, and substantial comments on each passage. The preliminary material investigates Polycarpian traditions and reconstructs an outline of his life. The introductory studies for both Philippians and the Martyrdom discuss text and manuscript traditions, date and place of composition, historical setting, literary genre and style, unity and integrity, purpose and themes, theology, and post-composition influence. The volume also explores communal self-definition, moral formation, and the transmission of traditions, including the use of documents now found in the New Testament. The commentary
proceeds passage by passage, but also includes lengthy discussions of critical issues and key interpretive questions. The investigations survey the current status of relevant scholarship and contain balanced discussions of controversial topics and scholarly debates.

Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians and the Martyrdom of Polycarp

Introduction, Text, and Commentary

Paul Hartog

Author Information

Paul Hartog is an Associate Professor, teaching Early Christian Studies at Faith Baptist Seminary, Iowa. He received his Ph.D. from Loyola University Chicago, where he was awarded a university teaching fellowship. He has previously authored Polycarp and the New Testament (Mohr Siebeck, 2002) and various articles and essays.

Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians and the Martyrdom of Polycarp

Introduction, Text, and Commentary

Paul Hartog

Reviews and Awards

"[Hartog's] interaction with the available literature is significant, providing discussion and reference to further sources through the footnotes at nearly every point possible. The entire volume is meticulously researched. The bibliography and footnotes as well as the degree of interaction with German literature not readily accessible to most readers are the obvious strengths of this volume. These factors set Hartog's work apart." --FIDES et HUMILITAS